Electrical power distribution busway systems are typically used to distribute electric power throughout commercial or industrial buildings. The busway systems are located in the floor, ceiling, or between floors in multilevel buildings. Each busway system typically includes a plurality of busway sections each having conductive busbars enclosed in a busway housing.
To run the various electrically powered items such as machinery and lights, it is necessary to provide access to the conductive busbars at power tap-off sections located along the busway system. Access to the busbars is usually provided by forming an opening through the side of the housing and exposing the conductive material of the busbars. In some instances, conductive tabs are welded to the edge of each busbar making it easier to attach the appropriate power tap-off connector or plug. An insulator is then placed adjacent the busway housing and over the exposed tabs to prevent inadvertent contact with the tabs. The insulator usually has a predetermined configuration of openings extending therethrough for receiving the extended tabs. The problem with this type of insulator is that it requires the use of extended tabs that must be welded to the edges of the busbars.
Other insulators are configured for use with busbars that do not include separate extending tabs. Such insulators sometimes include insulated extensions which extend between the busbars to prevent arcing between adjacent busbars where their conductive material is exposed. Of course, the busbars must be held at a spaced distance from one another to receive the insulated extensions. This requires a more expensive and less efficient manufacturing process to create power tap-off sections with spaced busbars.
In a commonly owned co-pending patent application filed on the same day as this application entitled "Busway Plug-In Tab," described is the use of press-formed plug-in tabs created by plastically deforming the conductive material of each busbar so that a depression is formed along the edge of the busbar and a displaced tab of material extends outwardly from the edge of each adjacent busbar. Existing insulators are not configured for use with such press formed tabs. It would be particularly advantageous to have an insulator assembly with insulator stabs which extend between the plug-in tabs and into the depressions to prevent any current flow or arcing between adjacent busbars.
Plug insulator assemblies also use a variety of covers to cover the openings extending through the plug insulator. Some of these covers are attached by hinges and some are designed to be broken off when access to the plug-in tabs is required. Hinged covers require excess space to open and break-away covers are not reusable. Thus, it would be advantageous to have an insulated cover which could be moved between a position blocking access to the plug-in tabs and a position providing access to the plug-in tabs while also being reusable and requiring minimal space for movement.